This article is from page 38 of the 2007-04-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 38 JPG
According to a report, which was produced by McIver Consulting for An Bord Bia, the amenity horticulture sector has grown by 50 per cent since 2000 while there was a doubling in the value of output in the protected crop Sector, with both of these combined now worth around €120 million to eTowers.
The mushroom and potato sectors
were the largest individual sectors and were valued at EUR106m and BLUR SRO repacyeeshohlAeleeP
“The horticulture industry contrib- utes handsomely to a dynamic rural economy from both an economic and social perspective – it is an efficient industry, well positioned and operated by professional expert growers,” said Minister for Horticulture and Food at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Brendan Smith.
The Department of Agriculture as awarded capital grants in the region of €40 million across the industry to growers, packers and processors since 2000 under the National Development Plan.
‘These investments have gone a long way in putting the horticulture sector on a firm footing and we are commit- ted to carrying on with this support under the new NDP,” he said.
“A key element of this framework is the provision of grants that are strate- gically targeted which will improve the overall development and competi- tiveness of the sector and the Mclver Report will be very helpful in formu- lating the necessary investment pro- feaen abe (oe
Funding of the region of €49 mil- lion is being provided for horticulture producers and €8 million for potato producers in the new NDP to cover the period 2007-2013.
Minister Smith commented that con- siderable support was also available to fruit and vegetable growers under the EU Producer Organisation Scheme. Since 2000, twenty Producer Organi- sations have benefited from EU fund- ing amounting to €24 million.
“My objective in the negotiations is to strengthen the role of POs where- by growers can use their combined strength in the market place to combat the power of the multiples,” he contin- ued.
Minister Smith said that a scheme was currently being discussed by the Council of Ministers in the context of the reform of the Fruit and Vegetable regime.